Container opener



ocu 21, 1941. R. c. TAYLQR 2,259,499

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Aug. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR BY a-62% ATTORN EY Oct. 21;, l941. R1 c, TAYLOR 2,259,499

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Aug. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheel'.4 2

INVENTOR @MMG/7 BY (9 3x32; #any ATTRNEY Patented Oct. 21, 1941 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER. QPENER Russell C. Taylor, Greenwich, Conn., asslgnor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August l, 1940, Serial No. 349,069

(Cl. ao-vlc) 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to container cutters and more particularly to that type of cutter which produces a pouring opening in a container wall and at the same time produces a spout around said opening.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a combination container cutting and spout forming tool which is especially adapted for use with liquid holding containers, such as lubricating oil containers, which is of simple and economical construction and which is adjustable to accommodate containers of different diameters or sizes.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of such a combination opening tool which cuts a vent hole in a wall of a container and with the same continued operative stroke destroys or mutilates another wall of the same container, thereby making the container unt for reuse and discouraging unauthorized or bootleg relling and resale of the container.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of such a container cutter which is capable `of performing a combined pouring opening, a

spout forming, a vent hole forming and a container wall mutilating operation all in one continuous stroke of the tool.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings discloses a, preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to thedrawings: Figure l is a partly elevational partly perspective view of a preferred form of cutting and spout forming tool embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tool of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View of the cutting and spout forming unit taken along line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the unit taken along line -i of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary and sectional view of the top portion of a container showing the cutting tool in its initial or vent hole cutting position.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the tool and a sectional view of the upper part of the container to be opened showing the tool at the end of its stroke.

Fig. 7 is a top -plan view of a. container top as it looks when the tool of Fig. 6 is removed after the cutting and spout forming operation.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the container taken along the lines 8 8 of Fig. 7.

the other end the body plate .II is provided with a substantially rectangular slot I3 of a width and depth to receive the rims or double seams of a variety of different size containers, be they of sheet metal or fibre or partly of each material or other suitable material which may be cut in the opening operation. I

Below the container rim receiving slot I3 the material of the body II is extended into a substantially triangular shaped cutter blade I4 having a tapered and sharpened cut edge I5. 'Ihis cutter blade, instead of being integral with the body II, may of course be formed oi' a separate piece of metal and suitably attached to the body intermediate the handle I2 and the cutter` blade I4, a composite cutter unit C-is provided which unit is slidably mounted upon the body II, as will now be described.

The cutter unit C is preferably composed of three main parts (Fig. 3), i. e. a longitudinal cutter blade I6, a transverse, slightly curved or concavo-convex cutter blade Il, and a curved spout forming member I8.

The parts I6 and I8 are formed at the top with solid heads I9 and 2I which are rectangular at their outer surfaces and curved at their inner surface, the latter taking the curved shape of the curved cutter blade Il which is received between them. The -parts Il, I9 and 2l are secured -together by means of the screws 22 which take through threaded bores of the parts 2l, I'I and I9 respectively. The parts I9, I1 and 2l are centrally thereof provided with a rectangular slot 23 of a width corresponding with the thickness of the cutter tool body II and of a depth corresponding to the width of the body II, so that the body II may be snugly received in the slot 23 and so that the .cutter unit C may be slidably adjusted on said body II. A thumb lock nut 24, having a. threaded shank taking through a threaded bore in the side of head I9 and with the free end of the shank bearing upon the body II, is provided to fasten or loosen the unit C upon the cutter tool plate il and sliding it thereon in I` either direction between the handle I2 and the 110D forced downwardly lar shapedpourlng opening 28. The spout forming part I8 which4 is attached rearwardly of the .cutter -.blades 'I3 and `I`I -andis 'I also curved 'in conformity with said blades also cooperates with the latter to enlarge said .opening 28 at 29 and effect. Care need only be taken to properly ad-` just the cutter unit C on the body plate II for each different size or diameter of container. It is of course also possible, because of the slot and nut connection between the tool A and the cutter unit C, to substitute other cutter units on the same cutter body.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit" and scope of the inventionor sacrificing all of its material' ad- Whena container B, such as a lubricating oil The tool'A is placed in vertical' position, as

shownin Fig'. 5, with the slot n embracing the rimfoi thevcontainerBfPThe tool is-vthen..

'untii'tiie sharp-cut edge I5* of theblade Il' penetrates the top wall of the xcontainer B, thereby starting an initial vent opening, and until at the vsarne time the' inner end of the slot I3 comes to a stop on the `container rim. The tool is then swung arcuately towards the top of the container pivoting Athe 'slot 'I3 onthe container rim. 'This causes the sharp edgel'5-to cut 4through the side -wallof the container just under the top `rim'or -jointand also causes the triangular portion of the blade I4 to extend the vent hole out. Further arcuate pivoting of the tool now brings the cutter unit C into cutting action (see Fig. 6), the cutter point 26 first piercing the container top at a point opposite to the vent hole cut. The cut edges of the cutter blade I1'and I6 then comes into action and simultaneously the spout forming part I8 also comes into action, with the iinal result as seen in Figs. 6, '7 and 8.

p It will thus be seen that one continuous movement or stroke of the tool A produces the vent hole 32, mutilates the side wall of the container as at 33, bends inwardly and distorts the top rim vantages, tle form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

' I claim:

'1."A containenopeningxand spout forming del vice, comprising incombination, anopener plate `having at one of 'its ends a container rim receiving-portion.'- a-`cutter blade adjacent said portion adapted in one position tol outa vent" hole through one container wall and in another posi- `tion to out through another container wall, said plate Ahaving-adiacent` the -opposite end acombined cutter and: spoutforming device adjustably 1 mounted thereon which device is adapted to 'cut a pouring opening-into a wall of the container and at the same time `form the material sur- .rounding Asaid pouring 'opening .into a pouring spout.

2. A-'container-opening and spout forming de- .vice, comprising .in combination,` an opener as at 34, produces the pouring opening 28, and

forms the spout extension 29 by forcing the cut material of the container top inwardly and the Atop rim or top double seam outwardly as at 35. This results in an opened container from which freely owing material such as oil may be poured It will of course be understood that the tool of my invention may -be used on different size or different diameter containers with the same frame, a fulcrum portion at' oneend of said frame, a cutting blade on said frame adjacent said fulcrum, a second cutting blade on said frame adjustably spaced from said rst blade, a spout forming member associated with said second blade, said device being adapted to fulcrum upon a container rim and when moved arcuately upon said container top to cut a vent hole, to cut a pouring hole and to produce a spout in said container top and to cut a hole in the container body in one continuous stroke of said device.

3. A container opening and spout forming dei vice, comprising in combination, an opener frame having at one oi its ends a container seam receiving slot, a cutter blade adjacent said slot adapted to cut a vent hole in the container top and incident to continued movement to also cut through the container body Wall, said frame having adjacent its opposite 'end a cutter adjustably spaced from said blade and adapted to produce a pouring opening in said container top "id a spout forming member connected with said cutter and adapted to deform the material adjacent said pouring opening into a spout, said vent hole, said body wall cut and said pouring opening being produced during one continued stroke of said device.

RUSSELL C. TAYLOR. 

